The King Must Die
by delos13
Summary: There were so many who wanted Alexander dead. There were so few who understood him.


Disclaimer: this story is pure fiction, please treat it as such.

A/N: Dear Friends, the story below was written in the memory of Alexander's death. It is a difficult subject for everybody here and I have to confess that I didn't make it any easier.

The storyline below was born in my mind many years ago and I couldn't get rid of it. Many will find it troublesome and many, I feel, will strongly disagree with the idea. I apologize beforehand, I didn't mean to offend or insult.

Your comments, any type of them, will be appreciated.

"You made yourself comfortable here, in Athens; I doubt that you would want to go back to Macedon, so why this sudden desire to take part in our politics?" Cassander tried to sound condescending towards his former teacher.

"Should I remind you that it was you who came to me for help?" coldly asked Aristotle. "And one hardly can describe my interest in any politics, Macedonian including, as sudden. Besides, you are grossly mistaken if you regard Macedonian politics in isolation from the rest of the world. Did my lessons in this regard fall of the deaf ears?"

"They didn't fall on the deaf ears but you made it very clear then that it was only Alexander who really needed them. He was the one destined for greatness and deserved your special attention. The rest of us were just annoying insects preventing you from giving your undivided attention and infinite wisdom to the heir of Macedonian throne."

Not hearing any response from Aristotle to his angry tirade, Cassander, uninvited, sat on the chair and started unceremoniously to look through the scrolls. But even in a dimly lit room Aristotle was able to notice how suddenly Cassander's face turned red and a vein on his temple bulged and started to pulse when he saw the writings in the first scroll.

Antipater's son grabbed the scroll from the table, jumped from his sit and almost shoved the paper into Aristotle's face. "And him," Cassander brandished the scroll before his former teacher's eyes, "you were obsessed with him even more than with Alexander, it was sickening to watch how you drooled all over the guy, how you wanted to bed him, how you…."

"Just don't try to persuade me that you didn't have the same desire; even as it is I have a serious doubt about your ability to carry on with the plan," retorted Aristotle.

Cassander shook his head as if trying to disperse some delusion. "Yes, I also wanted to bed him, he had the gorgeous, well, everything. But that's was just it, the very desirable ass to f***, nothing else. He is just a puppet, a nobody, he was, and still is, nothing without Alexander. Didn't our divine king confirm that fact with his own words?" smirked Cassander.

"Alexander said and did very few stupid things in his life, this was one of them. I wouldn't repeat it after him. That nobody, as you called him, is the most powerful man in this world."

"Oh, I thought that title was reserved for our great Alexander?" contemptuously asked Cassander.

"Yes, it is. Alexander made himself a most powerful man in this world and the only one he would listen to is Hephaistion. So, you tell me, what does it make Hephaistion?"

"Nonsense. It's just Hephaistion's thighs that rule over the Alexander. Alexander's body only, nothing else."

"Dear Cassander, don't repeat other people's stupid opinions, you have plenty of your own. Apart from still being in love with him, he also respects him, trusts him and depends on him. Hephaistion is Alexander's second in command, de facto and de jure, his official successor and his brother-in-law. If Alexander dies without an heir, Hephaistion inherits everything, if Alexander leaves an heir, rest assured, that heir will get Alexander's throne. For the sake of Alexander's memory and Alexander's glory, Hephaistion will do more than the king himself."

"Nonsense!" scoffed Cassander, "no one is going to accept Hephaistion as their ruler."

"Nonsense? You understand nothing! Persians will gladly accept him as their Great King, after all, he is married to one of the Darius' daughters, the younger one, granted, but if Alexander dies, he can marry the eldest one as well. And you know what, I bet Olympias will rush to offer him the hand of Cleopatra as well, you do remember that Alexander's sister was widowed some years ago and still didn't remarry? Then watch Demosthenes remember Hephaistion's Athenian descent and forget his own dislike of monarchy. Hephaistion understands people around him all too well and will know what to offer to each of them. Alexander conquered the empire, Hephaistion will rule it!"

"You have a lot of praises for a man who was instrumental in your nephew demise. Did you swallowed your pride and forgave him Callisthenes death?"

"I neither forgot nor forgave but your example just further proves my point. Hephaistion will do anything for Alexander, and you would be wise not to underestimate his power and abilities."

"If Alexander dies, my father will crash Hephaistion forces in no time, just as he did with Agis," disdainfully dismissed Cassander.

Aristotle sighed. Was Cassander really that stupid? "Agis was the Spartan king, remember? Your father will never start a war against Macedonian Army let alone win one."

"It is a mostly a Persian Army now, as everybody knows," insisted Cassander. "And I didn't come here to listen to you singing dithyrambs to Hephaistion. I will deal with him later, when Alexander is no more. Now, do you have for me what I came for?"

"Yes," curtly answered Aristotle and disappeared into the darkness of the room. He returned some moments later carrying two vials. "One vial is a dose, the second one is just in case something happens to the first. It's tasteless, colorless and has no smell."

"Do you know how many poisons I have access to, Aristotle? I didn't need your help with that! What I need is delivery system, so it won't fail, won't be discovered and won't be traced back to me or my people."

"And if you would have been a little more patient and let me finish instead of interrupting in a middle of the sentence, you would hear about the delivery system as well," there was no irritation now in Aristotle's voice, it had the same calmness and measure as when he gave lessons to his students.

"I don't have any desire or time to listen to one of your lectures, Aristotle, we are neither in Mieza nor in Lyceum. How long will it take to make Alexander dead? How are my people to give it to him without being caught? These are the questions that I need you to answer without being subject to endure your admonitions."

Aristotle still remained calm under this new outburst from Cassander whom he never remembered to be patient or interested in understanding how the things really worked. That of all the people he had to deal with him was an unpleasant fact but the one he was sure he can live with.

"It will take some months but no more than a year," calmly responded philosopher.

"A year?" exploded Cassander.

"I said 'no more than a year'," evenly corrected Aristotle. "It will give you and your father time to strengthen ties with your existing allies and may be acquiring a few more."

"My father? He is not….."

"Now it's you who are wasting my time," Aristotle visibly shrugged his shoulders, "you don't think that I am doing this for you, do you?" coldly asked Aristotle.

"Nor you're doing it for my father," Cassander stared purposely at Aristotle, "you are in it for yourself, as everybody else. So many problems of so many people can be resolved by Alexander's death, and we all pitching in, so spare me your platitudes," Cassander fell silent for a moment and then continued, "may be it's not that bad after all – the poison is administered in one dose but it will take half a year or so to kill Alexander; we can definitely use that time, to find new allies, yes, and also to think of the ways of get rid of them shortly after," Cassander's thoughts jumped from one topic to another, "but I never heard of such a poison before. Will there be any signs to watch? To know that the poison was administered and that it has its slow but sure effect?"

"You will have very clear evidence that poison was delivered, as for the clues that the poison took effect, you won't miss them either, and I advise you not to be around a lot, just in case."

"The poison can afflict other people as well?" worriedly asked Cassander.

"No, you don't need to be worried about that, but you can get killed by Alexander's orders or by his own hand."

"You said that he won't suspect me."

"He won't suspect you of poisoning him, at least not more than anybody else but he will become far more mentally unstable and suspicious than he is now."

"All right, I'll remember your advice. So, what's the delivery system, how to give this poison to Alexander without it being discovered in the first place?"

"You give it to Hephaistion."

"Very funny. Alexander will take anything from Hephaistion's hands without second thought. Thanks for your valuable lesson, I really didn't know that before. And the person who gives it to Hephaistion says what? 'O Great Chiliarch, wouldn't you mind to pass this poison to Alexander, he won't get suspicious if it's comes from you?"

"One doesn't have to say anything to Hephaistion, one has to poison him."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You asked me for a perfect way to get rid of Alexander, I am suggesting one. I hope you can come up with the idea of how to give it to Hephaistion on your own? I am sure he takes precautions too but his thoughts are about Alexander not about himself. "

Cassander chuckled and gave a short dry laugh. "This is definitely original, no wonder nobody thought about it before. Are you sure it will work?"

"Positive. Just be patient."

"I will be patient. But if what you are saying is true, I don't have to rely solely on poison. I can arrange for a knife in the back, or strangle him with something. It will bring the same result, won't it?"

"I am not sure. Why can't you stick to the plan? Due to his position Hephaistion has a lot of his own bodyguards, I presume, and he has rather good fighting reflexes, doesn't he? Besides, if there will be no doubt that Hephaistion was murdered, Alexander won't rest until he finds his killers. You don't want to give him any incentives to live, do you? On the other hand, if Hephaistion dies of what will look as more or less natural cause, the King will have nobody to blame or punish, except may be the gods."

"All right, all right, you convinced me, poison it is. But how can you be so sure that it will have the desired effect? That it will lead to Alexander's own death?"

"Because I never was blinded by hatred or contempt for Hephaistion. Because from the earlier years of Mieza I was able to see and understand what Hephaistion meant to Alexander, I was able to understand it may be more that Alexander himself, may be more than Hephaistion. The attachment and dependense didn't diminish with years, only grew stronger. Whatever I feel for Hephaistion, whatever I think about Alexander, the fact doesn't change, you kill Hephaistion, you kill Alexander. And the more time pass the more certain it is. May be if Hephaistion was killed or died when Alexander was young, he would be able to overcome the loss. He had then world to conquer, places to see, strong body to endure the mental collapse; he had to prove that he was better general than Philip, the deadlier warrior than Achilles, that he was as sure son of Zeus, as Heracles and Dionysus. Now, when all that was already achieved, what is left? Only Hephaistion. You kill him now, Alexander won't be able to survive his loss. Besides, as I told you before, it is even more dangerous to kill Alexander and let Hephaistion live. Then the only kingdom you can hope to see will be that of Hades."

"I am not sure that you've changed my mind about Hephaistion ability to inherit and keep to himself all that Alexander conquered, but I applaud your ingenuity of devising the plan to get rid of Alexander. I am not sure why but I think it will work and I am going to see it implemented. Now, when we concluded our business, how about we celebrate it with a private dinner and have some drinks to the success of our goal?"

"If you are hungry, Cassander, I can ask my slave to bring you some food but I don't have time to indulge in idle conversation; when you arrived, I was in a middle of doing something very important and far more pleasant than talking to you."

"Oh, what was that?"

"Writing a letter to Hephaistion."


End file.
